Syria

2011

New York, May 17, 2011--Bahrain's
crackdown against journalists continues unabated with five new detentions in
less than a week, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Syria and
Iran, one of which is holding Al-Jazeera English journalist Dorothy Parvaz,
continue to make intentionally vague or misleading remarks about her
whereabouts and physical condition. Meanwhile, Libya announced today that four
detained journalists would be released imminently.

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New York, May 11, 2011--Al-Jazeera reported today that Syria
has deported Dorothy Parvaz, a journalist working for the channel's English-language
service, to Iran. The Committee to Protect Journalists is
calling for her immediate release.

"Syria's apparent deportation of Dorothy Parvaz to Iran when she is also a citizen of the U.S. and Canada, is an irresponsible choice," said CPJ Middle East and North Africa Program Coordinator Mohamed Abdel Dayem. "Given Iran's abysmal press freedom record, we are concerned about Parvaz's well-being. Iranian authorities must immediately release Parvaz, who has committed no crime."

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New
York, May 10, 2011--Syria
is holding at least five local and foreign journalists as part of its ongoing
repression of the media, theCommittee to Protect Journalists
said today. CPJ also called on the Syrian government to make public the names
of all journalists currently in detention and to release them without delay.

Journalists and online news-gatherers have been struggling
to collect and distribute high-quality information about recent events in
Syria. Foreign journalists have been turned away at the border; local online
reporters have been detained. The quality of Internet and mobile phone
connectivity has been extremely variable, with reports of Net and phone
connections being cut off in selective areas, such as Deraa and Douma. The
Wall Street Journal reported blocks on
social-networking sites, and CPJ has received reports of consistent slowdowns
of home Internet services such as Skype and Google Mail.

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New
York, May 4, 2011--The
Committee to Protect Journalists called on Morocco today to release editor
Rachid Nini and sought the release of journalist Dorothy Parvaz as well as
other journalists in Syria. Press freedom violations continued throughout the
region, with abuses in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Yemen.

The world’s worst online oppressors are using an array of tactics, some reflecting astonishing levels of sophistication, others reminiscent of old-school techniques. From China’s high-level malware attacks to Syria’s brute-force imprisonments, this may be only the dawn of online oppression. A CPJ special report by Danny O’Brien

In our special report, "The 10 Tools of Online Oppressors," CPJ examines the 10 prevailing strategies of online oppression worldwide and the countries that have taken the lead in their use. In this accompanying podcast, CPJ Deputy Director Robert Mahoney notes that these strategies range from sophisticated cyber-attacks to traditional brute-force techniques. Listen to the podcast on the player above, or right click here to download an MP3. (2:47)

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New
York, April 27, 2011--Responding
to restrictions and attackson its staff, Al-Jazeera has suspended its
operations inside Syria indefinitely, the Qatar-based news network told the
Committee to Protect Journalists today.

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New York, April 18,
2011-- The Committee to Protect journalists called on Yemeni authorities
to clarify the whereabouts of reporter Ahmad al-Mohamadi, who has been missing
since being called for questioning Saturday by the Republican Guards.

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New York, April 15, 2011--The Committee to Protect
Journalists called on Bahraini authorities today to conduct an immediate and
transparent investigation into the death in state custody of Karim Fakhrawi, left, founder
and board member of Al-Wasat,
the country's premier independent daily.

Fakhrawi died Tuesday, a week after he was apparently taken
into custody, according to news reports.
Human rights defenders told CPJ that Fakhrawi had gone to a police station on
April 5 to complain that authorities were about to bulldoze his house.